Wyndham Weekly, August 2013

It’s Spring and everyone is smiling.
At least, that’s how it feels when I’m driving around Wyndham’s roads lately.
On trees and lampposts, private front gardens and industrial fences, the cheesy grins of dozens of council election hopefuls beam from placards and signs.
Some appear to have been knocked up on the home computer; others are full sized real estate boards, more an ostentatious display of wealth than humble request to serve our community.
Generally, they’re accompanied by tedious slogans promising they “understand the issues” and “will work towards a better future”.
Here’s an issue for you.
Since January, Wyndham Council has undertaken a crackdown on residents who put up roadside signs promoting their garage sale.
Fair enough, I’ve seen enough weather-worn handwritten old signs hanging around long after the home owner has sold the contents of the shed to know they’re unsightly.
But, put your sign up more than two days prior to your garage sale, or leave it up longer than the following day, and you run the risk of a $375 fine.
Which begs the question; election campaign signage has been up since early September and I’m still driving past the empty grins and promises of candidates almost two weeks after voting packs have been issued.
In addition, while council CEO Kerry Thompson assures me that it’s perfectly legal to display election signage on private property, permission must be first sought from the property owner.
However, the sheer volume of signage makes it hard for me to believe that permission was sought in every instance, although I’m happy to be proven wrong.
Successful candidate or not, what are the penalties for those in the election race if their self-promotional signage isn’t taken down promptly and disposed of appropriately?
To all the election candidates, take your signage down and put a smile on all our faces.